Erin Merryn honored with first Wendell Jones Award for her Advocacy Work

As printed in the daily herald:

Merryn, a surivor turned advocate, is being honored by the Alliance on Domestic Violence for her work helping to pass Erin's Law, which requires Illinois public schools to teach sexual abuse prevention.

Illinois and seven other states have taken action to teach sexual abuse prevention in schools, and 15 more intend to do so during the next legislative cycle

Other Friends of the Alliance award recipients include:

• Michael Bischof, Cynthia L. Bischof Memorial Foundation.

• Rita Canning, chairman of the board of directors of Women In Need Growing Stronger (WINGS).

• Jim Huenink, executive director, Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault (CASA)

* Northwest Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County.

The Wendell Jones Awards Breakfast is named for the late state senator Wendell Jones of Palatine, who founded the Northwest Suburban Alliance on Domestic Violence more than 10 years ago. Jones was instrumental in securing funding for a Palatine-based domestic violence safe house for the WINGS Program and establishing the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council for the 3rd Municipal Court District in Rolling Meadows.

Tickets for the breakfast are $20. Online reservations are available at wingsprogram.com/awardsbreakfast.html or at (847) 818-2528. For information, visit www.endallabuse.org.

Telling Amy’s Story Documentary Screening at Harper College on Oct 9

Telling Amy’s Story produced by Penn State Broadcasting and funded by the Verizon Foundation, tells the story of Amy Homan-McGee, 33 year-old, mother of two who was killed by her husband in 2001 when she decided to leave him after suffering years of abuse.
The victim’s parents and co-workers, law enforcement officers and court personnel share their perspectives on what happened to Amy in the weeks, months, and years leading up to her death.

The producers of the video hope that while they will never be able to change the ending to Amy’s story, that it’s telling can change the outcomes for the millions of victims, survivors, and loved ones affected by domestic violence every day.

The Northwest Suburban Alliance on Domestic Violence and Harper College’s Human Service Program are screening this video to create awareness during domestic violence awareness month in October.

The screening is open to the public and will be on Oct. 9, 2013 from 4:30pm to 6:30p.m. at Harper College located at 1200 W Algonquin, Palatine Illinois, in Theater J143. Tickets are free with online registration at http://nwsadvandharper.eventbrite.com

NWSADV & Harper College Create Dating Violence Video

Theatre Club Video Highlights Dating Violence

Noreen Patel has been in a real-life emotionally abusive relationship. So when asked to tackle the topic in a video aimed at helping fellow young people spot the signs and find help, the Harper College theatre student quickly signed on. "It's not just about playing a role in this film. It's about playing a role in ending the violence," says Patel of Hoffman Estates. "I never want anyone to feel like I did."

Patel plays the sister of a victimized high school girl in the six-minute film. Commissioned by the Northwest Suburban Alliance on Domestic Violence and newly published to the College's YouTube channel, it tracks an unraveling relationship during prom season. With input from the Alliance, Patel and other Harper students worked with Theatre Department and Harper Police to produce the piece amid grim statistics: the 2000 National Violence Against Women Survey shows one in four women will experience domestic abuse during their lifetime, and U.S. Department of Justice data suggests most cases are never reported. Emotional abuse, which isn't always easy to spot, is a growing part of the equation – and a key part of the video.

"Things have to change," says State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), co-chairman of the Alliance. "It was our vision to create this video, and we're so happy to have seen it through with the help of Harper College as we work to ensure our young people know the signs and know how, and where, to get help."

The video is titled Encounters: Preventing Dating Violence 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cs3MLciaIQ&feature=youtu.be

It also includes phone numbers for shelters and hotlines. More films are planned, with a goal of sharing consistent dating violence and emotional abuse messaging with high school students and area young people.

Contents from this post is courtesy of Harper College: 

http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/about/news/archives/2013/041113e.php

Friends of Shelter "Cooking with Class" March 12, 2013

Friends of Shelter will host an evening of culinary delight with a “Cooking with Class” demonstration and dinner on Tuesday, March 12 starting at 6:30 pm at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, Chicago, 1800 E. Golf Road, Schaumburg.  Hyatt’s renowned Executive Chef, Spencer Wolff, will conduct an interactive cooking demonstration while treating participants to a multi-course gourmet meal paired with select wines.  The cost of the demonstration and dinner is $75 per person.  All proceeds from this event will be used to benefit Shelter’s programs and services.

Shelter, Inc. is a nonprofit child welfare agency that protects abused and neglected children and adolescents by providing foster care, emergency and longer-term group home services in a safe and caring environment. Healthy Families Program provides home visits to first-time parents emphasizing children’s well-being and positive parenting. Increased public awareness concerning child abuse, neglect and other social problems directly impacting children and their families is accomplished through their Community Education program.

For more information or to register for the event, contact Shelter, Inc.’s Special Events Coordinator at 847.590.6188 or visit their website at www.shelter-inc.org.